My friend Steve Renko got in touch with me on July 2nd to tell me that he was playing drums with Ernie Krivda & the Fat Tuesday Big Band that night at Vosh in Lakewood. I had yet to visit the upscale club on the west end of Lakewood, but I had heard good things about it, and had eaten at the adjoining restaurant back when it was called Three Birds. So Hellpellet and I decided to make a night of it.

The cover was a little steep, but with an 18-piece band to pay I understood. We settled in at the bar and took in the place – spacious and nicely appointed, with plenty of room for tables and dancing. The specialty cocktail prices were also impressive, but I was the designated driver so I didn’t mind.

The band was fantastic. There’s really nothing like a killer horn section, and these guys were laying it down. The sound was unreal, combined with upright bass, drums, and an amazing pianist – not to mention Ernie Krivda leading the band and throwing down some sick saxophonication.

They had a couple guest vocalists during the course of the evening, which was a nice addition. There were numbers that were swingin’, and others that made for good couples dances. The crowd was varied, but there were a number of folks on the older side (one online review of Vosh said that it was a great place to “find your third husband”, which was pretty funny). Age was immaterial, though, because everybody was enjoying the show.

I was surprised at the sheer volume of the band. It was on a par with a rock band, which I guess isn’t that surprising given the number of instruments. And it was a good sort of loud when they were firing on all cylinders.

I highly recommend checking them out. You can find the schedule here.